2012-10-17 That's No Alligator
The news has been full of it for days, whether it be the papers, radio, television or the internet. More and more stories told about 'The Thing That Lurks in Central Park'. Unlike so many stories of it's ilk, it hasn't been limited to just trash tabloid reports either. Oh sure, at first it was, but as more sightings occurred, as the reports grew more and more frequent, more and more credible the stories couldn't help but slip over into the mainstream. At first it was limited to just that; shady sightings around dusk or later. Then pets started to go missing. But the stories reached a fever pitch earlier this afternoon when it was no longer just a random sighting or stray animals vanishing. No, a full dozen people claimed that some 'thing' burst out of the trees and snatched up a young pre-teen boy who was playing soccer with his friends before disappearing once more. THe reports varied widely on just what the thing was, but the one thing they could all agree on? It wasn't human. Tonight it most definitely feels like an October evening in Manhatten. While pleasant during the day, a bank of steely grey clouds moved in over Nw York late this afternoon and the temperature began to drop. While still a dozen or so degrees above the freezing mark the cold wind and the damp,drizling rain that has been falling for a little more then an hour now makes it feel like a particularly miserable night. The sort of night that no one sensible would be caught out in. Of course, New York City just teems with those lacking sense. One of those is Peter Parker. Caught working late in the heart of Manhatten, he was at the very least at the center of the storm of media reports as they came in about the bizzare abduction. After hours of trying to get away, the young man finally managed to convince his oh so loveable boss that he really had to go and hey, who knows, he might manage to get a photo or two and wouldn't that be better then hanging about a newsroom? Slipping up to the roof, he changed out of his clothes, tucking them into his backpack before Spider-Man leapt through the roof top of the newspaper building and began swinging his way across the city. After a little more then fifteen minutes, it is a very sodden Spidey that wanders long the southern edge of the lake in Central Park, just shy of the treeline, not entirely sure just what he's doing here. But knowing he has to keep looking. Just a little longer. Two Spideys is better than one. Or, so goes the theory. Spider-Girl is /not/ super-psyched to be out in this weather in costume, but hey. You suffer for your art. She's been prowling the park long enough that at this point, she has literally plunked down to sit on a bench near the lake for a breather, legs crossed while she checks some updates on her phone, leant over forwards to shield it from the rain with her body. the_spider_girl: I hope you people appreciate what I do for you. It is COLD out here. To be honest, there are /multiple/ things that lurk in Central Park. It's part of the reputation of Central Park. There's petty thieves. Dealers and druggies. A 'thing' that isn't human and snatches people might not be as common, but after a fashion it isn't that unusual... Especially considering other things that have appeared in the park in the past. But not everything that prowls this park is 'bad'. Case in point, Hawkeye. The female one. The one that a certain Mux wiki calls 'Hawkeye II' so not to confuse her with 'Hawkeye' who's Clint Barton of SHIELD. But anyways, she's out and about in the park. Part searching for trouble (both in the form of what ever took that boy, and the usual trouble that happens in this park), and part on patrol. Only as she does so, the female archer tries to stay out of peoples lines of sight. What lovely weather to be wandering around in! It isn't Noriko's first choice, but the weather remains one of those things that very rarely agrees with the rest of a person's schedule and really didn't care about important events or errands needing to be run. To the rest of the cold and miserable crowd, she's just a weird kid with blue hair walking around for whatever reason. In her own eyes, here is someone in need of something, something important enough to be wandering around topside where it's wet. She pulls her hands out of her jacket pocket and rubs them together, trying to breathe some warmth back into them. Just after doing this one hand pulls back, watching it closely as it shakes unnaturally in the air. Nori frowns and tightens that hand into a fist, promptly returning both to their respective pockets. Jordan had better come through for her today. He liked to operate inside of the park, god knows why. Of course, after an hour or so of rain, one might hope that it would begin to let up, that there might be something of a break. One would undoubtedly be disappointed however. If anything the rain seems to becoming down a little harder, the patter of falling droplets clattering on the lake itself, sending thousands of rippling circles outwards with each drop that hits the surface. Both the rain and the wind stirs through the increasingly bare tree limbs that are slowly, inevitably shedding their leaves, leaving a carpet of reds, oranges, yellows and browns on the green grass below. Little tendrils of mists, the beginnings of a fog begin to creep outwards from the lake, no more then ankle-height as they stretch for the trees. No, Central Park is rarely a bad place to look after dark if one is looking for a little bit of trouble. And even with the miserable weather, it would probably be possible to find some. Just not in this part of the park. The word is out and the drug dealers and other scum that crawl out of their holes after dark have sought out greener pastures elsewhere. The winding paths are deserted and even the little orange islands of illumination cast by the scattered lamp poles seems somehow muted. There might be few people out and about, but few is not none and after wandering along the tree line for a good five minutes, muttering to himself about the general unfairness of life and the fact that he definitely needs to consider investing in a heavier, rain-repellent costume Spider-Man spots the lone figure seated on one of the benches. An odd place for someone to choose to be, in this weather, at this time, all things considered. It is odd enough that it attracts his attention creeping closer and closer until even through the rain his concerns are dispelled. The stealthy approach is abandonned and the red and blue-clag teen hops up on the back of the bench, crouched there. "You don't look like a scaly thing. But I guess appearances can be deceiving. I don't suppose you've been snatching up kids and carrying them off for who knows what nefarious purpose have you? I'd really like to find that guy so I can go home and warm up," he says to Spider-Girl. A short distance away, amongst the trees a pair of yellowed eyes watches, the faint sound of a tail sweeping back and forth through the brush lost under the downfall of the rain. "You and me both, buddy," Spider-Girl notes with a sympathetic grin, offering Spider-Man a fist for a good old-fashioned spider-dap before tucking her phone away. "It is colder than a really cold thing out here. I could be at home right now, you know?" she complains, hauling herself back up to her feet. "With blankets and hot cocoa? This is just..." She looks around, shaking her head, then pauses and squints towards the trees. Did she see something move? ... Nah. Probably nothin'. "C'mon. We can search together," Spider-Girl suggests, flashing a smile through the teeth-chattering cold. "Where've you already looked?" And as those two spiders talk near that bench, Hawkeye keeps moving. And looking. And strangely enough the female archer just isn't acting like the rain is bothering her. Maybe it has something to do with her costume. Or maybe she just doesn't care right now because she has more important things on her mind. Like finding what ever is here. Either way, she doesn't notice those eyes in the bushes. But she does notice the spiders. Which strangely enough prompts her to audibly groan. Life isn't made easier by not having a cellphone. Nori last spoke to her 'pal' more than a week ago. A lot can change during that time, usually without her knowing about it until it's well after the fact. Jordan may not be here at all, but she has to stay hopeful that he is. As the rain picks up she finally relents and pulls the brown hood up over her head then swiftly returns her hands into hiding, trying to keep some warmth in her joints. She keeps walking through, pace brisk and attention mostly downcast, though she's eyeing the world around her as she goes. One should always tread with a bit of caution, especially since her general demeanor suggests two things: 'Leave me alone,' and 'potential troublemaker.' "Only if you're really, really sure that you haven't been kidnapping kids in your sleep or something. It could be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing. You have a cat nap in the afternoon and poof, you're a scaly monster with a taste of children," Spidey proposes serious-like. "What, it could happen," he insists before jerking his head back the way he came. "I walked along the tree-line all along the eastern shore. I didn't see anything that way. Unless you count a floating log. I was thinking about interrogating it but that would have required wading into the lake and I figured that would get me even more wet then the rain. So yeah, pass. I'm fairly confident that none of the descriptions the witnesses gave this afternoon mentioned the thing looking like a floating log though, so I think I'm good," he says. It would be nice if he could blame the rain for his flight of whimsy, but no. Instead he hops down from the back of the bench and motions ahead along the shore -- perhaps not coincidentally in the direction where the other two people foolish enough to be out in this weather will soon be spotted. "Lets roll. Two of us means twice the ground half the time spent in this rain, right?" he notes hopefully as water drips from the pointed nose of his mask. Yellow eyes track the movement of the two Spider-People nearby before darting further down the shore, other motion catching it attention. Those gleaming orbs narrow against the dark, wary and filled with a primitive anger. But that quickly disappears when more rustling comes from further down the treeline just as the first crack of lightning lights up the skyfollowed almost instantly by a rumble of thunder. And for just a moment the park is lit up, the treeline visible. And the young, soaked pre-teen boy emerging from the brush for all to see. "Careful, man -- you sound dangerously close to optimistic," Spider-Girl notes, falling into step with Spider-Man and bringing a hand up to shield her face from the rain while she peers around. "And we all know what happens then." A superhero starts to look on the bright side and BOOM. Horrible things happen. It's a law or something, she is pretty certain. Spider-Girl's eyes find Noriko first and she slowly tilts her head, squinting beneath her mask. "Do scaley monsters wear hoodies?" she asides curiously, frowning to herself. "Because they look kind of shifty --" Being on the hunt for monsters means that she cuts off abruptly when the lightning cracks and whirls around, fists coming up. WHAT. MAYBE THE MONSTER HAS A REALLY BIG LIGHT. YOU DON'T KNOW. ...wait. Spider-Girl lightly elbows her fellow arachid before starting for the brush, bringing her hands up to help pitch her voice further. "Hey! Kid! Are you okay?" Yeah. One of these days Hawkeye is going to actually have to have a talk with Spider-Man. Because while she is /NOT/ stalking him, the fact remains that they do keep ending up running into each other when things go to heck. Or at least they have as of late. because if this keeps up, he might end up with the wrong idea. ... Wait a second. If they're both here, wouldn't that mean that shit is about to go down...? Crap. Maybe it's the lightning flash that helps, but the female archer does catch what appears to be movement. movement headed towards the shore. Thus she in turn starts to head after it, while trying to keep a safe distance. At least for the moment. A slow but steady line of mumbling comes from the girl with the blue hair, picking up her pace as an unnerving feeling picks at the nape of her neck. Something doesn't feel right, but for her it has less to do with the rumors circulating about the sighting in the park and more to do with the weather. The sudden flash of lightning gets an abrupt gasp from Nori, her quick pace faltering so much that she stops and stares up at the sky. "Not now, why did it have to be -now-..." The nearest lightpole begins to flicker overhead, the girl drawing her hands in front of herself again only to discover how badly they're shaking. There's the briefest of sparks between two passing fingertips, nothing more than a discharge of static. When Nori hears the 'hey kid' being called out she quickly spins about, discovering something which she didn't expect to out here. Costumes! But the one isn't calling out to her, there's some other kid out there that has her attention. Despite the danger of her own situation, she becomes distracted by this. What's going on, here..? MAYBE THE MONSTER *IS* A REALLY BIG LIGHT. Except then how would it have run off with the boy in the first place? Not a whole lot of physical substance to light. So no, probably not on the whole light thing. Still, the lightning is rather sudden, no distant rumblings of thunder to proceed it. Just sudden illumination followed almost instantly by the loud crack of thunder. That stuff could make even the hardiest of heroes jump a little. Like his companion, Spider-Man whips his head around as the sky lights up momentarily and just like her his attention quickly returns to the woods ahead. He has no time to comment on the shiftiness of hoodies -- though for the record he rather likes them himself; they're cozy -- but instead his gaze focuses on the boy. For a moment something impossible actually happens -- Spidey is struck silent by the sheer, remarkable coincidence. THe moment, however, does not last. "Ha. And you thought something bad would happen. Look, I give you the power of positive thought!" he says before quickly growing serious once more as the kid stumbles of the slick ground, three long cuts visible on his arm, hours old now judging by the scabs on them. Reaching out, Spider-Man catches him under his uninjured arm. "Hey kid, it's gonna be okay. We'll get you some help..." "...was an accident. I need to find my mom. It's my dad..." the young boy mutters before a cough tears through him, bending him almost in half. Plainly he has been out in the rain for a very long time now, even more sodden then Spidey or the others out and about. The power of positive thought indeed. Taunt the universe and it will usually have an answer. And the answer this time comes swift indeed. Almost as soon as Spider-Man reaches out to catch the boy a roar sounds from the treeline about forty feet away. Almost at once something bounds out of the darkness, little more then a shadow this far away from any of the lamp posts. No moon lights the sky and no more lightning offers a burst of light so it is nearly a shapeless mass that is so abruptly amongst the little gathering. A clawed talon lashes out at Spider-Man swiftly while a heavy, scaley tail whip about, flailing dangerously towards Spider-Girl. Spider-Girl frowns in concern at the boy, moving to his other side when Spider-Man catches him. "Geez, poor kid. Wish I had some blank--" ROAR? Who said ROAR? Spider-Girl whirls around towards the sound and blinks once as she sees /something/ big coming their way. Oh, good. Spider-Girl trusts her arachnid buddy to get himself and the boy out of the way, so she just worries about herself, springing up to try and dodge the tail. She... mostly succeeds. It catches her ankle on the way up and sends her spinning with an audible "GYAGH!" that follows her as she hits a tree /slightly less gracefully/ than she had intended to. Blame it on the raaaaaaain. "Positive thought, he says!" Spider-Girl grumps, whipping her hands up to fire a pair of weblines where the tail had come from. "What could happen!" You want light...? "And the archer said... Let there be light!" Yeah. As that thing rushes even farther ahead, Hawkeye pulls out an arrow. only before she even aims it, she presses a button on the tip, and said tip starts not only to glow, but after a little bit it becomes as bright as a street lamp. Then, by the time there's a 'Roar' and sounds of fighting, that arrow is fired towards the direction the fighting is coming from... Because things weren't stressful enough for Nori, already! A wounded child, two Spiders, a mysterious archer woman, a storm that seems real keen on screwing around with her, and something..roaring..from the shadows... There's another gasp, quick enough to be audible as she spins about to face the direction of that roar. No longer are her hands hidden from view, held out to her sides in the best sort of defensive stance a freaked out teenager with no combat training can manage. "Not cool--very not cool--why today?!" Quickened pulse, racing thoughts, energy in the very air around her, it's a bad recipe. She needs a plan, and fast. She gets a plan, too. A horrible plan. There's too much energy, energy which needs somewhere to go. There's also a bizarre creature attacking the hero types. If there's ever going to be something blast-worthy in her immediate area, that creature is it! "This is bad--a bad idea--you know it is--can't do nothing--can barely -think!-" Nori's probably not thinking when she starts running toward the creature, either. "I knew it! I knew you could change into a horrible, scaly monster! Don't eat me, Spider-Men taste awful!" the masked teenager shouts as he staggers backwards, narrowly missing being raked by that clawed appendage that seems so intent on gutting him. Even then it narrowly tears open a trio of lines in his costume. The groan that comes from Peter is awfully close to actual, physical pain. "Awww, c'mon, not the costume. Do you know how much I hate sewing?" he mutters as he spots his female opposite tumbled over by a nearby tree. "Hey... if you're there, who's trying to tear me to shreads?" he asks, reaching up and blindly firing off a pair of webs that snag a nearby branch, jerking himself backwards just an instant before another set of claws tear through the air where his head was an instant before. "Ummmm, sorry about that whole accusing you of being a monster thing. I was just kidding," Spidey offers weakly. Weak apology aside, everyone has a few more pressing things to worry about. In the dark that shadowy, shapeless mass moves oh so swiftly. But as that illuminated arrow lands just a few scant feet away, new light is suddenly set on the scene and it is no longer a shadow that moves amongst them. No, it is worse. A little larger then your averave human it is a giant lizard, but one that walks like a man. Tattered cloth fragments cling to it's form, but the green scales gleam under the harsh glare of the arrows light. A thickly muscled tail sweeps back and forth dangerously and a silibant hiss comes from the creature as it instinctively flinches away from the sudden light. But the distraction only lasts a moment. Almost at once it whirls, turning towards Spider-Girl who remains closest to the boy she moved out of the way. Waiting no longer it lunges, leaping for her with claws outstretched. Stumbling backwards, the young boy's eyes are wide, rain running down his face as he tries to get words out around the coughing that tears at his chest. "Don't... hurt...." he gasps out, slipping and falling prone in the onrushing Noriko's path. "It's cool!" Spider-Girl calls towards Spider-Man. "Can't be too sure in this biz!" And it /was/ funny. Seriously, come on. She brings an arm up to shield her eyes when the arrow suddenly illuminates the area, but she can see /just enough/ to know she needs to move. Quickly. When the lizard man lunges for her, Spider-Girl leaps from the tree to try and get /over/ him, her hands already outstretched to try and grab onto the tail as she goes. Surely, this is an excellent idea which will in no way backfire on her or those around her! "Settle down, pop! I am pretty sure you don't wanna eat junior over there!" Right? She hopes? Say, where /is/ junior? Spider-Girl casts a quick, distracted look about, and spots Hoodie -- who seems zappy, potentially? Hm! -- and a familiar face in Hawkeye. "Oh! Hey!" Despite the situation, there's a very faint smile and a slight, "Hey." at Spider-Girl as Hawkeye continues to try to rush towards the fight. Only she also tries to stay back just enough that she's out of reach. Especially as she pulls out a 'tear gas' arrow, which is drawn, and aimed at what ever that reptile person is. Only she doesn't fire it. Not until she feels like she has a clear shot... At it's mouth. Of course she also tries to keep half an eye on where the kid went, and where the spiders are as they fight, and even that odd other thing (person) that appears to be moving at high speed. After all, she doesn't want them to end up having to deal with a strong whiff of the gas. Especially the kid. But then again, knowing Spider-Man... Aw great, now there's a wounded child in Noriko's way. One that's trying to tell her not to hurt ..what? The -creature?!- Crap! If she can't cut loose on that beastie then someone else is likely going to get fried! That all-out sprint comes to an equally sudden end, eyes darting from the heroes to the thing with a tail as she tries to think of something, -anything!- "Gotta do something--bad things'll happen--gotta find a way to--Water--In the water--Get it in the water!" she suddenly yells out to the others. It's actively chasing the Spiders, plus they're agile. They should be able to help with that! If they even hear her while dodging for their lives and all. Nori's attention darts back to the injured child, holding an open hand out in that universal 'stop/stay put' gesture. "Stay back, don't get in--" Her words get cut off as another tiny blue arc leaps between her fingers, leaving her to stare at her own hand. "--Just stay!" She swiftly retracts that hand then goes for the edge of that body of water. It might work... Maybe. Hopefully. Attacking from behind has to be better then attacking from the front right? There are a hundred percent less claws and teeth to deal with and while the lizard thing has yet to showcase those teeth, you just know that he has a mouthful of the razor sharp variety. Yep, from behind is definitely the way to go. Except that grabbing onto its tail proves to be something quite different then grabbing a cat's or a dog's tail. For one thing, this doggie is a decent amount larger then Spider-Girl. For another, that tail is a whole lot stronger thenany dog's tail. Almost at once the Lizard roars again, the tail jerking powerfully in her grasp, swatting first one way, then the other. One of those clawed talons lashes backwards, those deadly claws swiping at his tormentor as he rears up, those row of glinting teeth exposed. Yeah, all things considered the back is still the better choice. "You don't understand..." the boy wails as he's plucked from the ground, soaked through, covered in grass stains and mud. Still, he does seem to have some survival instincts, remaining where he is, watching wide-eyed as the lizard creatures makes a valiant effort to send Spider-Girl flying. "Hey, it's you!" Spider-Man exclaims from his perch in a nearby tree. "You know, you don't have to follow me around. If you want an autograph I'd be glad to sign something. Just, you know, not right now," he offers oh so helpfully. But at least he doesn't let himself grow completely distracted and when the Lizard tries to decapitate Spider-Girl the red and blue costumed teen lashes out with another of his weblines, catching her square in the back and jerking her away. "I think we need a new strategy. It's a shame that we can't just let him win. But I get enough noise from the media without 'Spidey in cahoots with Man-Eating Lizard' headlines." Spider-Girl stays latched onto the tail, an exclamation of "CRAP!" accompanying each swing. CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! Yes, she is the absolute model of superheroic dignity. At least she has good old Stick'um Powers on her side, not that... they seem to be doing her much good, hm. Spider-Girl doesn't let go when the arrow comes in, but she /does/ recognize a good idea when she hears it shouted her way. Water, says the zappy person. "WATER!" she bellows. "CHECK!" Just to make sure the lizard is likely to chase after her, she tries to give the tail an INDIAN SUNBURN before she lets go at the end of one of the swings, just as Spidey yanks on his webline, and lets herself be sent sailing through the air, and towards the lake. "LIZARDS SUCK!" Spider-Girl shouts, twisting in the air to slap her rump at the creature before she lands near the shore. "THEY HAVE NO REDEEMING QUALITIES AT ALL!" "Hey, we all know that The Bugle is right and you're a menace anyways, so how could it hurt for people to think that you're working with The Lizard?" Yes, Hawkeye just said /that/. Out loud. And she didn't exactly sound like she's joking. Especially as her arrow apparently misses. All though, as she catches what Nori suggests, and what Spider-Girl is doing, the female archer can't help but grin, before she starts to reach for an arrow. And extra special arrow, just in case this doesn't work... Nori understands enough, anyway. Enough to -her,- that is. If something doesn't give then a lot more people might get hurt. If she does nothing at all, a lot more people might get hurt. She's not anxious for anyone to get killed! With the others keeping the lizard guy busy she has no trouble reaching the water, crouching by the edge but keeping her hands reeled in close to her body. (Stay focused--just stay focused--little bit longer to happy go zappy time--rrrgh!) If it isn't such a tense moment for her, the unfolding situation might actually make her laugh. Those three are an interesting crew! At the moment all she can manage is to stare onward with her jaw gaping open slightly as Spider-Girl taunts the lizard. Did she just--? Dude. That costumed gal is -cool.- Anyone who would actually agree with that blowhard J. Jonah Jameson is definitely no friend of his, that's for sure! Spider-Man actually hmmmmphs and while that mask hides away his expression it is a safe to bet that there is a big ol' Spidey glare beneath that mask. "You are off the Christmas Card list," he says, dropping the weblines once Spider-Girl is safely away before dropping down to the leaf-covered lawn below, landing in a crouch. "Also arrows? What kind of super power is that? Pffft..." he adds, trotting back over to the young boy. "Okay kiddo, lets get you out of here before Mr. Scaley crawls back out for round two. "What's your name anyway?" he asks as he scoops up the youth, darting a quick glance towards the lake before starting for the path. Teeth chattering, the ten year-old quickly ceases his protests though his gaze remains locked on the nearby waters. There is fear there in his eyes, certainly, but something else as well. "B... Billy Con... Conners. But you don't understand..." he protests as he's hauled away from danger. While she might have gotten a rough ride, flailed about by that tail, persistence can be a virtue in a hero and all it takes is just a moment, a moment to plant one's self, a moment to almost lose half her face to that clawed hand. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades and with that last effort, Spider-Girl sends the scaley Lizard flying through the air to splash into the dark waters of the lake. Almost at once the creature disappears from sight with a loud splash, ripples sent wildly across the surface of the black waters. A few bubbles emerge moments later but the Lizard? The Lizard does not... HA. One lizard monster, in the water! Spider-Girl points towards Noriko and /hoofs it/ away from the shore. "You're up, sparky!" she calls, the pointing fingers traded out for two big ol' thumbs aimed skyward. Once she's pretty sure she's far enough from the water to be safe, she whirls back around to face the lake, bouncing from foot to foot. If he comes back out, she wants to be ready. And as The Lizard goes flying and crashes into the water, Hawkeye pulls out an arrow. That 'special' arrow. It's put into place, and aimed towards the lake, as she waits for what is to come, and if The Lizard comes out before then, the arrow will be let fly. "Tell that to SHIELD, Bug Boy. And The Justice League. They've got archers. Besides, I'm not the one who yanks dangerous weapons /up/ so they fire and debris falls on innocents, when they should be knocked /down/ and away from people!" There--monster's in the lake--go go go! Nori's hands dart forward and disappear under the water's surface in the same instant that she turns her head to the side and cringes. She hasn't tried this one before, never on this much water, but desperate times and all..! The only question now is how exactly she's supposed t-- Ever see a pond glow like a flashbulb? The current is applied directly so there's no hum or crackle in the air, at least not until tendrils of lightning shear off of the surface and start dancing across anything made of metal within the area. Park benches, garbage cans, railings, plaques, it's all very trippy and would be awesome in a music video if not for there being property damage done to the city's largest park. Any fish that managed to find their way into that pond are not likely to make it through this, even the rain-rippled surface shows hundreds of faint blue bolts dancing across the uneven surface. With a stifled yelp Nori falls backward and away from the pond, her hands still shaking..but her mind no longer racing. The jolt is spread out enough that it prooobably won't put a human-sized creature into a coma. The fish, however, will just have to take this one for the team. "Oh sure, lets keep the vibrational harmonics weapon pointed at the same spot on the ground for a few more seconds. Right up until the pointthe sidewalk caved in. THat's a much safer option. Here's hopin' those SHIELD and JLA archers don't try to collapse a building on anyone," Spider-Man fires back, only half paying attention to Billy's protests. But his determined progress comes to an abrupt halt as the park suddenly lights up like that lightning crack from moments ago. Glancing back despite himself, the red and blue garbed teen lets out a low whistle. "Man oh man, the Parks and Recreation department are gonna want you soooo bad for murderizing all their fish..." he comments as he watches the play of electricty across the water. The air crackles with that electric discharge, the air almost abuzz with energy as the lake lights up, glowing brightly, incandescently for a moment before dying away. And then? Then it just kind of smells like frying fish. Dozens of them begin floating up to the surface of the lake, belly-up and plainly no longer a part of this world. Hopefully fishy heaven proves better for them. "Noooooo!" comes the cry from Billy Conners and he abruptly resumes his struggles, breaking away from the distracted Spider-Man, making a break for the lake's edge, a surprised super-hero quickly in pursuit. But the boy abruptly stops well short of the lake's shore, tears rolling down his cheek, lost in the rain that mixes in with them. "I think..." he begins, his words a whisper, half fearful, half awed, "I think that was my Dad..." Seconds pass, then a minute but while a few more fish float up to the surface of the lake of the Lizard, there is no sign... "Your dad's made of sterner stuff than that!" Spider-Girl calls towards Billy, and already, she's tromping back towards the shore -- first, to check on Nori. She approaches cautiously, giving her a wary look just in case any more zap-zap seems to be lingering. "Sparky? Y'okayyyyy?" she asks, her voice almost sing-song. And Hawkeye still doesn't relax. While that light show with the lake is impressive, and that smell... A little less so, until the Lizard shows, or some other sign appears, Kate isn't backing down. "So you decided to drop the building on them anyways? Smooth." Yeah, the purple clad archer should be canning the snark. She even wants to move over to check on Nori, or help Billy. But with Spider-Girl taking care of the girl, and Spider-Man being so close to the boy, well... Someone has to stay 'on guard'. Tough to say with Noriko, staring back at the body of water. Then staring at the approaching Spider-Girl. There's no easy way to put what she's thinking, so she just blurts it out: "I didn't mean to kill it..!" Physically, at least, things seem to be much better off. The shakes are from a legitimate adrenaline rush and the sparks seem to have gone away, she's probably not so volatile now. What remains is the fun-filled psychological impact. "Please tell me I didn't just kill it!" Yeah, she'll be fine! "You didn't kill it," Spidey chimes in almost immediately, glancing quickly down towards Billy and resting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Did you see how strong that thing was? You'd probably have to electrocute a half dozen lakes with it in the water to even slow it... errr, him down," he adds confidently. Of course, those confidently words are contridicted just a little by the shake of his head that all but screams 'Nope, that sucker is char-broiled' Scooping Billy up again, Spider-Man walks down to the water front, face screwing up a little as he nears the lake and that... oh so special aroma rising off of it. "You don't mess around, do you?" he comments to Noriko with another shake of his head. "When the authorities arrive and they ask what happened, I suggest telling them it was lightning. You don't want the bill for this clean up," he offers helpfully. "I'm gonna go walk the lake's edge and see if I can find anything. Call the police, let them know the boy is safe?" he suggests to Spider-Girl before jerking a thumb towards Hawkeye. "Or get she of the pointy sticks to do it. I'm sure she has a cellphone in that voluminous scarf. Or maybe lodged somewhere else," he mutters as he hands over the shaking child. "You didn't kill it," Spider-Girl says in tandem with Spider-Man, reaching down to carefully pat Noriko on the arm. Hopefully she won't get too much of a shock for her trouble. At least the costume is a little insulated? "I promise. Thank you for your help." She glances over to Spidey and nods, offering Noriko a hand up before going for her phone. "I got it. Only other thing I can think to do is dive in and go looking, but it's probably too cold and dark for that." And let's be honest. She doesn't want to break her phone. There it is. No. Hawkeye does /not/ have a phone in her scarf. That's just silly. Instead it's tucked into a special pocket on the inside of her quiver. And as she slowly releases the tension on her bow, and as the arrow is put away, a few keys on her phone are pressed (without her even looking at it!) causing an app on that phone to notify the police for her. Then, her expression softens as she glances at Nori, and then Billy. "And Spiders... If you want to go, I'll stay with the kid until the police get here. That way you're less likely to end up having your names tied to this." And yes, that goes for the electric mutant too, but since she doesn't know the girls name, she can only try to offer a look that says the same thing to her. Noriko takes Spider-Girl's offered hand while continuing to stare onward. She wants to believe the others, well and truly. So..she does. The alternative's going to lead to a breakdown, she can let that happen somewhere else. "I--" No, let's try that one again. Swallowing hard, she says "You're welcome. I..should probably go." Then, emotion shoved aside, she repeats "I should go" with some proper conviction. Sorry for electrocuting your mutant maybe-father there, kid! Pet owners across the city will rejoice. "It'll be okay kiddo. If that was your dad, I'll find him," Spider-Man promises even as he winces inside. Great. Now he's going to be out half the night in this rain, looking for a fried lizard washed up by the side of the lake. He can already feel his noise starting to run under his mask, can already feel that tightness in his throat that says all too clearly that he is going to have one whopper of a cold before the week is out. This sucks. But what sucks worse is being in Billy's shoes right now. He should know. He's been there. And so he will wander the shores of the lake for the next several hours and hope that his confident, reassuring words are a lot more accurate then what the logical side of his mind is telling him. "You definitely should go," Spider agrees as he starts to trudge up along the shore. "And next barbeque I throw, you're totally invited. We won't have fish though," he adds. Also, he doesn't throw barbeques. "Spidey-Gal, I just want you to know I'm now almost ninety-nine percent sure that you don't transform into a Spider-eating scaley beast. Maybe ninety-nine point five percent sure," he says, bobbing his head her way before his gaze swings over to Billy. "I'll find him Billy. You go home to your mother. She has to be terrifed by now. She'll need you," he says more gently. Then he fires off a webline towards the nearest tree, taking to the high ground for a better vantage point, disappearing into the rainy night. "Awww. Thanks, buddy," Spider-Girl replies, beaming and waving to Spider-Man with her free hand. "Swell guy," she asides to Hawkeye, nodding somberly to herself. "It's the webs, I think. Thank you for letting me bail, I need to go thaw out /yesterday/. I owe you." Spider-Girl helpfully pulls Noriko up to her feet and offers her a reassuring smile, holding up her hands. "Okay, okay, you can go! Do you have somewhere /to/ go?" she asks, already starting towards the edge of the park. Maybe, just maybe, Noriko will follow her. "With blankets and all?" Ehm... Oh dear. Normally Noriko would probably have a bit too much pride to admit that she -doesn't- have somewhere to go. After this little (large) incident..? "Well..sorta, yeah." It's not convincing, as far as responses go. Okaaaay, she'll follow Spider-Girl. Just for a while. Category:Logs Category:Events